


Homestyle III

by joouheika



Series: Homestyle [3]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-02
Updated: 2015-01-02
Packaged: 2018-03-04 22:02:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3092321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joouheika/pseuds/joouheika
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren and Jean compete to see who has cooking duty in Levi's new squad.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Homestyle III

**Author's Note:**

> written by request, i hope you know who you are!
> 
> Translation into 中文 available: [Homestyle III](http://yvonnewuuuu.lofter.com/post/25682a_eed95c8) by [EveWuu](http://archiveofourown.org/users/EveWuu/pseuds/EveWuu)

Jean can feel the sweat sliding down his neck.

Everyone is looking at them, hoping, praying, that for once (is it really such an unusual thing to feel people root for him? Eren can be really annoying too, or maybe that really WAS just him, dammit) that Jean will win.

They’re having an arm wrestling match.

It's down to them.

The loser has to cook dinner tonight, and after cleaning for so many days and so many hours because Captain Levi arrived yesterday, there was no way he was going to get stuck doing all that work after busting his ass (well, sorta- it would have been easier if Eren hadn’t been yelling at him over every little speck of dust and so what if there was a little dirt by the doorway!) and besides everyone is cheering for him now.

Because…

If he wins… then they get to eat… Eren’s heavenly cooking again… 

You could pull out all his teeth and he’d still refuse to say it, admit it to anyone, aloud, especially in front of Eren… to his face… that even compared to the food he ate at home, his beloved omurice, his mother's home cooking, that Eren’s cooking is simply- the best…

He sucks back all the spit in his mouth on thinking about it and tries to drive that into incentive, into strength to his arm so he can win this!

They’re somewhat evenly matched, and surely Eren is feeling the pressure for him to lose right? Surely that’s going to help him out right? Everyone is calling out his name, and no one is standing behind Eren during this and-

Jean is wrong.

Even if everyone abandons him, forsake and cursed his ideals and refused to support him in his own ambition- Eren would still believe in himself, he’d still- fight!

Jean feels a sudden surge of strength from Eren’s arm. He’s getting pretty sick of their hands touching this whole while like this and Eren doesn’t like it one bit either, that scowl of before that’d been annoying Jean this whole time has suddenly turned to cold determination to bring Jean down. 

Connie and Sasha are cheering for him in the background, as Armin looks intensely between them. Mikasa doesn’t know how to react, she wants to support Eren but she also like everyone else wants to eat his cooking again. Historia is the only one not in on this, sitting by the window looking out it, a glance thrown their way once. Maybe imagined.

Jean is gritting his teeth, his palm is sweaty.

He wants to put his other hand on the table but that’s cheating-

Suddenly Eren’s eyes flash and Jean doesn’t give a shit anymore, his hand is on the table, helping him push back on Eren’s sudden burst of strength.

Eren gets after him right away, “JEAN you can’t use another hand to win you cheater-”

“What’s the matter Eren? It’s not my fault you suddenly decided to use this _monstrous_ strength you so suddenly have, how do I know you’re not cheating with your weird titan abilities?”

“You accuse me of stooping to such a dirty tactic because you’re playing dirty? It’s a real good thing you didn’t join the military police then, or maybe you should have!”

“Shut up ready-to-die-soon-bastard!”

“You shut up! Cheating horse faced bastard!

And since Jean had been yelling and leaning forward, trying to get as close to Eren’s face as he always ends up doing (so annoying) he’d been distracted and within that moment-

Eren slams his arm over.

He lost.

Jean has lost.

Connie is booing him and Sasha is trying to wipe away her overflowing tears. Mikasa looks a little proud but disappointed. Armin sighs in relief that it’s all over. Historia hasn’t spared them another glance since the one.

Jean wants the whole earth to swallow him up.

Even though he had said it before right? Miracles aren’t his forte.

The anguish he feels soon extinguished on seeing the proud smile on Eren’s face; it’s pissing him off to no end.

“Shall I lend you my apron Jean? Or do you have your own?”

“I don’t need your stupid! Apron! Eren!”

“Are you sure? I’m relieved I won, now I can finish the cleaning _you_ failed to complete since you are rather sloppy. Are you sure you don’t want to borrow it?”

The worst thing about all this is Eren isn’t even doing this to embarrass him or taunt him, he is seriously concerned Jean might mess up the kitchen, and the apron is useful in protecting against that sorta thing… Jean looks away from Eren’s insistent gaze. If he’s gunna cook then he’s gunna make a mess! Let Eren eat that!

Jean stands up angrily from the table they’d been sitting at.

“I already said I don’t need it dammit! Mind your own business! Damn housewife.”

Eren watches as Jean angrily stomps out of the living room.

\---

Jean isn’t sure what he’s going to cook, what there is to cook, but it’s gotta be easier than feeding the entire Survey Corps since it’s only a couple of them in comparison… though he does have to factor in Captain Levi who is here now, but hadn’t left his room this entire time. Had the table disgusted him so much that the cleaning really needed to be done again? Cleaning Eren has been working on since beating him at arm wrestling, hours ago. He probably should have started cooking around the same time since while it wasn’t for so many people it still was for... damn quite a bit of people, and he has to do all the work himself… what a bother… and no doubt everyone is going to bitch about the food he makes. He's not very good at cooking to begin with, and everyone knowing they could have eaten something Eren fixed…

Jean steps into the kitchen and his mood lifts instantly.

It’s warm and there’s a delicious smell wafting through the air.

His stomach grumbles and his mouth waters like earlier.

Whatever it is that’s being cooked right now… perfect for the cold evening… beneath the blankets or before a fire, comforting and-

Jean stops when he sees Eren with a headscarf still over his hair (he’d been cleaning with one on, though Jean suspects he’d switched that one out for this clean one for cooking, it did look a shade pink and was that… a rose embroidered on the edge) that familiar pink frilly apron donned on his figure, a beacon of hope.

Jean’s heart skips a beat.

Could it be… that Eren had finished his cleaning (and realised it really hadn’t been that bad!) and so had finally come to see that it was stupid to make one person do all the cooking (especially it being him) or really had been cheating (Jean doubts it, but if what he said had made honor bound Eren feel that way) and therefore guilty for whatever reason he doesn’t actually care only that Eren is here and _cooking_ then that means he wasn’t going to be flogged in his sleep tonight by his comrades because they… are going to eat… Eren’s cooking… again… he’s so happy even he might cry.

Eren turns to Jean.

“Oh? You’re finally here Jean. I was wondering when you would show up. You should have started cooking hours ago. Are you sure you’re really going to have dinner ready in time?”

Jean’s dream is shattered.

It’s not the first one to do so.

“Maybe if someone wasn’t hogging up all the space then I could get to work, but you’re here aren’t ya? When are you going to scram?”

Eren is scowling at him, but Jean is finding it hard to feel his usual vicious anger on seeing that familiar expression when the smell in the kitchen continues to occupy him.

“It’s almost done. I won’t be here much longer.”

Eren turns away from him and Jean approaches closer, to try to discreetly look at what Eren is cooking, he’s using a rather big pot for it, there’s dried meat and cut sweet potatoes and… rice… 

Whatever it is even for something so simple Eren has managed to-

Jean hadn’t noticed he’d gotten close enough behind Eren to bump into him and is drooling over his shoulder.

Surely with that amount… he isn’t on planning on not sharing… this is Eren… tries to look out for them, everyone works as a group…

Eren pushes him away, annoyed.

“Don’t get too close. If you ruin the porridge for Captain I will definitely never forgive you.”

Jean resumes scowling, of course.

Eren continues.

“He’s been feeling a little under the weather, and I can’t blame him with all this running around.”

 _Because of you!_ is what Jean almost says but he holds his tongue for once, maybe if he refrained from giving Eren the dosage of truth he’s always in need of maybe he’ll share some of the porridge with him… Jean hasn’t been listening to what else Eren has been saying, it’s been a constant Captain this and Captain that ever since he’d started interacting with Eren again and he’s pretty sick of it. Has a generally good idea what Eren is gunna say before he says it.

“-he didn’t eat any of his dinner last night. Even though I thought it was rather good, Sasha and Connie had cooked together didn’t they? Sasha’s a good cook, but maybe Connie and her had been messing around and whatever it was the food wasn’t to his agreement. And then _you_ didn’t clean the dining room proper-”

Eren is scolding him but he doesn’t give a shit. As usual.

The porridge smells _so_ good.

Eren pushes Jean away a second time when he comes in close. Again.

“-are you listening to me at all Jean?”

Eren finishes cooking the porridge and has already prepared a tray with cut fruits (some in shapes, the slices of apples and pears looking like rabbits, berries scattered atop them), a teapot of steeping black tea and a cup and saucer for it on the tray. Eren is scooping the porridge into a bowl when-

“…that smells really yummy Eren, what is it?”

Historia has come into the kitchen, quieter than a ghost and is peering at the food. Standing near Eren, her elbow close to his. How she had snuck past Jean… he’d been concentrating on the porridge in the pot.

Eren looks at her in amazement. This is the most they’d heard her speak since dinner last night and the days before that.

“...it’s porridge Historia. I’ve made it out of rice instead of oats. There’s sweet potato in it, my mother taught me how to make it when Mikasa was sick one time… it really helped her feel better so I’ve made some for Captain Levi who isn’t feeling so well…”

Eren looks a little nervous, like maybe he shouldn’t have said so much on Captain Levi’s health, but this is just between all of them and Historia doesn’t seem like she cared all too much. That she is talking to them at all is…

Eren is smiling at her.

“Would you like to have some?”

She turns to him, looking less out of sorts.

“Is it alright I do so?”

Eren nods and gives her the full bowl of porridge he’d originally had set on the tray for Captain Levi, handing her a spoon as well as he warns her the food is very hot.

“Perhaps it’ll make you feel better.”

Historia accepts the bowl of porridge and the spoon, an unreadable expression on her face as she heads out of the kitchen into the dining room to eat.

Jean is trembling in envy.

It’s not long before-

“How about me Eren can I have a bowl?”

Another head of blonde hair has made its way into the kitchen and Armin is standing where Historia had once been, smiling, chipper as he asks for a bowl of porridge. Mikasa right behind him. Swallowing the saliva in her mouth, as her eyes light up on seeing what Eren had cooked. More cherished memories revived.

“Me too, Eren.”

Eren looks between them, alarmed at their sudden arrival. But they’re his friends, he can’t refuse them can he? He looks over at Mikasa with a frown on his face, concern ridden in the lines of it.

“You too Mikasa? Are you not feeling well either?”

“That’s right. Please give me some porridge you made. Eren.”

Eren regards her, then worriedly- “Has your wounds from that time still not healed? Didn’t you say you were better?”

Mikasa turns red, for an instant, caught. But Eren doesn’t seem to see the almost lie, only that Mikasa might not have been as better as she’d told him.

“No… no, it’s not that Eren! My body is fine. The wounds from that incident no longer bother me. I’m just… also feeling under the weather…” then with great hesitance when Eren does not respond, she adds- “…like Captain Levi.”

Eren’s expression is thoughtful and he’s still frowning, brow creased in concern.

He gets more bowls down, and serves Mikasa a portion, her smile almost as wide as that time she’d thanked him for the scarf. She grips the spoon Eren hands her tightly before also heading into the dining room after Historia to happily eat her porridge. Armin following after her with his own portion and spoon, that Eren had handed to him, his frown gone and a soft smile in its place because it’s Armin he’s speaking to. Armin needs to be well nourished since he’s always, always using that head of his.

Jean is about to scream.

This is such bullshit.

Favouritism.

Everyone is totally screwing him over!

Eren is scooping out another serving into another bowl he’s set for the nth time on the tray.

Jean hesitantly tries to call out to him, a hand reaching-

Sasha and Connie interrupt him, both almost knocking each other onto the floor in their scuffle to get into the kitchen first.

Both calling out to Eren loudly, both on their knees as they tug his sleeves, Sasha on the right and Connie on the left. Eren looks like he might kick the both of them. He tells them with no room for argument, and Jean recognises that tone from being grounded by it many a time.

“The answer is no. There’s only enough left for one more serving and it’s going to Captain Levi.”

Eren looks rather stressed. Jean lowers his hand in defeat… there’s no way… then…

Connie admits defeat as well but Sasha clings onto Eren’s sleeve the entire time crying, being dragged nearly out of the kitchen she’d fought so hard to reach before Eren kicks her off from him. She’s a pathetic mess against the doorframe as he swishes away in that damn apron, his hold on the tray of food and tea firm and strong.

Her crying ceases instantly as she shoots forward from the door frame, vicious, after Connie who’s grabbed at the ladle and is eating the residue, Jean has one hand on the pot handle but Sasha already has a hand scooping at what tiny remains there are in the pot and he’s cursing them both.

Once they’ve licked everything clean, Jean yells at them to help him cook.

\---

Eren is worried the food will be cold by the time he’s able to bring it to Captain Levi.

He knocks on the door and is told to enter, curtly.

Eren steps in, seeing Levi is still in bed with the blankets over his lap. He’s reading by such dim candle light. Eren frowns at that. Though the first time he’d brought up his concerns over Levi’s eyes, Levi had informed him that lamp and candle light had been the only light he’d known for most of his life being from the underground. Reading however…

Eren removes some of the heavier items (the teapot, the small milk pitcher… Levi rarely had milk with his tea but Eren always brought it just in case) placing them on the nightstand and sets the tray up on Levi’s lap who puts aside what he’d been reading. His face the usual tired and unimpressed though with how quickly he’d put the book away and turned his gaze to the arrival of food. Eren is pleased that Captain Levi’s appetite has returned.

“Are you feeling much better Captain Levi?”

Levi is still looking over the food, perhaps deciding what he wants to eat first?

“Have you finished the cleaning, Eren.”

“It has been completed sir.”

Levi nods.

“I knew I could count on you to get it done.”

Eren feels his whole body stiffen, tense but happy over such praise.

Levi’s hand moves as if he is going to pick up his spoon… he places his hand down, sighs.

Eren hovers over him worriedly.

“Am I mistaken sir? Is the food unappealing to you?”

Levi doesn’t spare him a look.

“No, Eren. However I’m still fatigued from the long ass journey here. How bout you feed me?”

Levi has turned to him, looking, expectant that he will not be refused.

Eren pulls up a chair, not daring for his sigh to leave his lips, as he moves the apron up momentarily to avoid sitting on the edge of it in any fashion. He reaches over and picks up the spoon, almost flinching when Levi warns him to be careful. The joke is not appreciated and Eren is pursing his lips a little as he scoops up some porridge. Feeding the Captain who eats every bite, increasingly more eager on each one, sometimes leaning in as Eren is bringing the spoon to his mouth. This causes a collision for one missed bite, and Eren apologises, taking up the napkin he’d prepared and wiping off what was spilt onto Levi’s chest. Levi can’t decide if he’s disappointed he’d not been able to eat that bite or glad on account of how close Eren has gotten to clean up the mess.

He eats the fruit last, Eren apologising again for not bringing a fork or a pick. He supposes Captain Levi is displeased about that, considering he nips at his fingers as Eren feeds him the fruit. Eren turns away when he feels Captain Levi’s tongue on his fingers, licking away whatever remaining juices had gotten on them.

When the meal is done.

Levi is looking at him, from top to bottom. Mentioning how it’s not bad, that the headscarf he’d gotten Eren does indeed match the apron. Eren thanks him for it again, it’s very useful.

Levi isn’t able to pick up his spoon but he picks up the empty bowl and holds it out to Eren.

“Seconds.”

Eren apologises profusely on how there’s no more.

He had originally cooked such a big pot because he knew Captain Levi could eat a lot and probably would… but after sharing with everyone (somewhat) he’d been hoping since the Captain hadn’t eaten all that much last night then perhaps he didn’t want to overdo it… but then he should be happy that Levi has regained his hefty appetite… Eren is in heavy contemplation as Levi thinks over Eren’s answer.

If the tray wasn’t on his lap he would have suggested he then eat something other than… food, but he holds himself back, for once… maybe twice. Clasping a hand over Eren’s shoulder as Eren bends over to retrieve the tray of empty dishes. Levi speaking against his ear as he requests that Eren go cook some more food for him.

Eren is trying to hurry away. Both ears turned red, as his face is. A hand on the doorknob, as he glances back at Levi who tells him-

“Hey, Eren. Before you cook me another helping be sure to get something to eat for yourself.”

Eren nods, “Yes, Captain.”

Before leaving.

Levi lies back against his pillows and doesn’t pick up his book for some time.

Imagining how Eren would look wearing only that apron and his present to him.

\--

The moment Sasha and Connie had heard Eren in the kitchen they’d abandoned the not as good as his ma’s had been omurice he’d given a shot at cooking, being as it’s one of the only things he does know how to cook, sorta.

To go cling on Eren’s sleeves again to beg for a portion of the porridge they’d missed out on. Eren had told them yes. Irritated.

Still irritated as he sits at the table Jean is presently eating alone at. Sasha and Connie’s cooling dinners aside Jean, mockingly.

Both of them are in the kitchen, waiting by the pot of porridge, inhaling its smell and rubbing their hands, sharing gleeful glances between the other, looking like they are dancing on the goddamn clouds.

Eren sits down carefully in front of Jean, still wearing that stupid apron, a plate of already cold omurice in hand. Jean is robotically eating the food he made, as he watches Eren take up his spoon and scoop up a bite of the omurice- putting it in his mouth-

Jean is yelling and rising out of his seat, pointing at Eren.

“What… what are you doing?!”

Eren is looking at him like he’s stupid.

In other words, as he typically looks at him.

Eren chews and swallows.

“I’m eating. What? You’re not going to let me eat dinner because you cooked it? Grow up, Jean.”

Eren takes another bite, and another, glaring all the while at Jean.

This whole time he had to hear Sasha and Connie (as he knew they would) cry and complain over how bad the food is, Historia had went to bed, and the portions he’d made for Armin and Mikasa declined since they were ‘too full from earlier’ as if they hadn’t done that all on purpose.

But here Eren is… eating the crappy food he made…

Jean shuts up and sits down.

Slowly resuming eating his own food.

Trying not to watch Eren who at some point finishes, checks on the porridge which still isn’t done.

Jean thought it might be, when someone sits in front of him again. It’s Eren again. Another helping of cold omurice before him, there’s a little rice on the corner of his mouth from the first helping as he eats another serving-

“HEY.”

Jean is still yelling.

Eren looks up annoyed from his chewing, swallows.

“Will you shut up already? People are already asleep at this hour and if you don’t want me to eat the food then don’t leave it out.”

Jean stutters something out, he doesn’t register what it is but Eren is regarding him somewhat coldly.

“If Mikasa wanted to eat it she would have. I’m a little surprised since rice is her favourite. But if she isn’t going to eat it then I am. She’s the one who told me not to waste food and all.”

Eren almost angrily eats the rest of the food on his plate and Jean watches in near shock.

Eren is eating the food he made… Eren who’s cooking skills are beyond the goddesses… the food he made tasting to that of ambrosia… Jean just can’t understand. How the hell is Eren able to eat the crappy food he made?!

Jean is wracking his brain, sure the crap they ate typically and during their trainee days really depended on who was stuck with kitchen duty and there were a lot of potatoes but- Jean knows. He can’t cook. He’d even cheated during that competition against Sasha, reheating the food his ma had made him… he’d tried to recreate the recipe but he didn’t have the skill, experience, knowledge… he’s feeling really small right now. He sighs depressed.

Watching Eren reach over to take up the plate of omurice Connie hadn’t so much as touched, though Sasha had eaten half of hers… hey.

“SERIOUSLY WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

Eren looks thoroughly done with him.

“If you wanted it you should have said something. Go eat the remaining portion Sasha abandoned. Don’t bother me, stupid.”

Jean is watching Eren eat more, there’s more rice on his cheek. Eren looks back at him, the most displeased.

Swallowing.

Jean finally just asks him- “How… how are you doing that?”

Eren’s look is of great suspicion.

“Doing what?”

Jean can feel that sweat again, not just on his neck, or palms, dammit this is why he can’t stand Eren!

“How are you able to eat that?”

Eren continues eating, he looks a little confused.

“It’s food, you can always eat food if you have it and you want to.”

Jean is gaping at him.

Eren is frowning, telling him-

“What? You think I hate you so much I won’t eat food just because you made it? You eat the food I cook don’t you?”

Jean is still gaping at him.

“Besides, I was ordered by Captain Levi to eat before I return to him.”

There it is.

Jean has started to stand.

Eren has gone back to eating.

There it actually is.

Whatever he’s about to say is going to be rude and dumb as hell but he doesn’t care. It'd be better than this. If he says something then Eren will get pissed off too and they can fight. No more words, the end of words. Fists have always been their resolution.

Eren is still eating, chewing carefully.

For some reason Jean is really angry, though he’s usually angry at Eren so why he’s suddenly even the least bit surprised on that fact at all is-

Eren pauses in eating to look over at him, a bittersweet melancholy and tenderness about his features Jean is not familiar with.

“You also put in a lot of effort to cook this despite that you really didn’t want to cook. This dish, you learnt it from your mother didn’t you? I can tell. Because my mother taught me a lot of the dishes I can make.”

Jean sits the fuck down.

Eren is still speaking.

“That’s why it’s delicious, your omurice. Jean.”

What the fuck.

Jean lies his head down on the table.

What the actual fuck.

Eren is looking at Jean in some more brief confusion before reaching over to take up Sasha’s half eaten plate. Jean is such a weirdo sometimes. Always freaking out about something stupid…

Jean's sudden laughter is rather creepy. Eren eats faster (the porridge should almost be done) as Jean says, words muffled at the table.

“Man, I really can’t win against you can I?”

Eren sets his spoon down, on finishing Sasha’s omurice.

Rice all over his face as he stands, a hand braced on the table as he wipes the rice from his mouth but doesn’t get it all. He'd not heard what Jean had said but he figures it's something about the porridge. He tells Jean, voice tired-

“Would you like some porridge?”

Jean bolts out of his seat, nearly dancing himself _over_ the clouds, haha and laughing mockingly at Sasha and Connie. Eren had served them each a bowl and then another for Captain Levi, but had left the rest, that’s right the rest of the pot for Jean! (Mainly on account of how there are no more bowls to serve the porridge in until they wash some, but that aside) all of them joyously stuff their faces. Lying down on the kitchen floor in bliss for the next couple hours, trying not to fall asleep. Full of the tastiest meal they’d had in months.

Jean wakes up in the morning still on that kitchen floor, Sasha and Connie long gone, to Eren prodding him angrily with a spoon asking him why the hell he hadn’t washed any of the dishes last night, as had been his duty, as had been why he’d shared the porridge with Jean. Both jumping when a feeling much better Captain Levi emerges from his room finally, to come ask why his breakfast is taking so long.

On seeing Jean.

Jean is promptly kicked out of the kitchen and told to guard the door as Captain Levi helps Eren with washing all those dishes… 

Jean is in a foul mood not only on account of Sasha and Connie bitching and moaning more that Jean had ended up cooking breakfast.

Eren and Captain Levi are missing such a breakfast.

They’d washed the dishes, then had some other important matter to attend to though it’d been… breakfast the Captain had come to check up on right?

Jean stabs at the tiny sausage on his plate angrily, it catapults into the air much to Sasha’s glee, who reaches out with a fork to covet it but is intercepted by Mikasa who splits it with Armin. Historia hasn’t touched any of the food, not even the eggs. Jean feels disheartened again and wonders if when Eren is done with whatever it is he’s helping Captain Levi with if he’ll come sit with him and eat all the food no one had finished eating again.

When he doesn’t Jean eats it all by himself.

Choking on cold eggs as he sees Eren enter the kitchen to prepare lunch, tying up the back of his apron in a neat bow.

Finally managing to say the rude stupid thing he was going to last night as Eren gets after him for still not cleaning up!


End file.
